Department for Transport

Holyhead Port: Large Goods Vehicles

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that there will be additional lorries arriving at the Port of Holyhead from 1 January 2021; and where they plan for any additional lorries to park.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Transport policy is devolved and is a matter for the Welsh Government. The Department for Transport is working closely with and supporting the Cabinet Office’s Border and Protocol Delivery Group on delivering the required preparations for the end of the transition period. The Government has committed to spending £470m on new border infrastructure to support ports in building extra capacity to meet the new control requirements where there is space to do so, and, if necessary, to build additional inland sites across the country where checks can take place. The Port Infrastructure Fund will support ports in preparing for any potential disruptions that may occur at the end of the transition period. All ports which submitted bids for the PIF have been informed of the outcome. Holyhead will be served by an HMG-provided inland border controls area.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 November (HL10065), what stage the project to reinstate the railway between Colne and Skipton had reached in the Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) process; whether the GRIP process has now been paused or abandoned for this project; and if so, what would be the criteria to restart the GRIP process for this project.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The work carried out to date on infrastructure options for this scheme by Network Rail and Steer is assessed overall by Network Rail as being ‘pre-GRIP’. Further work on developing the infrastructure options is included within the proposals for initial ‘Develop’ stage work referred to in my answer of 23rd November (HL10065).

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Gender Recognition: Research

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) pressure from activist groups, and (2) decisions not to allow academics to speak at universities, on the amount of research commissioned by universities into the number (a) of girls presenting with gender dysphoria at clinics, and (b) of people who regret that they undertook medical treatment for their gender dysphoria; and what steps, if any, they intend to take in response.

Lord Callanan: Universities are independent, autonomous organisations and are therefore responsible for their decisions relating to research priorities and which activities to support.

Intellectual Property

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what considerationthey have given to introducing criminal provisions for intentional unregistered design infringement.

Lord Callanan: The Government has considered this issue in detail in recent years. There were - and continue to be - mixed views on criminal sanctions for unregistered designs, and many design-intensive industries have argued against their introduction. Taking account of all views, the Government remains of the view that it is not appropriate to extend criminal penalties to unregistered designs.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to the UK in the event of the UK's departure from the EU without a deal.

Lord Callanan: The UK has put in place a number of measures to facilitate trade with the EU beyond the end of the transition period and to avoid any adverse impact to vaccine supply beyond 1 January 2021. The Government has worked with COVID-19 vaccine suppliers to support them with robust contingency plans. If necessary, we will use alternative supply routes and Government procured freight capacity, in line with current Government advice.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of plans to test whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines can be combined successfully.

Lord Callanan: This is a commercial matter for AstraZeneca on which the Government cannot comment. The agreement between the UK Government and AstraZeneca to supply 100 million doses of vaccine is unaffected by any further agreements by AstraZeneca with other partners.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doses of the Sputnik V vaccine they (1) have purchased, or (2) are planning to purchase, in the event that tests show that the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines can be combined successfully.

Lord Callanan: The UK Government has not and is not planning to purchase any Sputnik V vaccines.

Business and Employment: Government Assistance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to (1) maintain jobs, and (2) support businesses, after the end of the transition period following the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Callanan: We have provided support and tools to help businesses prepare and understand the actions they need to take ahead of the end of the transition period. The Government, through HMRC has provided £84 million to support small businesses adapt to new customs rules and DIT has established a £38m Internationalisation Fund for small businesses.The Government has published comprehensive guidance and launched an online checker tool for businesses to tailor guidance to their needs via GOV.UK. BEIS has also undertaken a comprehensive programme of engagement with businesses including the Secretary of State writing out to 4.7 million businesses across the country to inform them of how to prepare for the end of the transition period.

Climate Change Convention: Travel

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 6 August (HL7322),what progressthey havemade on the travel plan for COP26; and what plans they have (1) to block book trains or carriages, (2) arrange special trains or carriages, and (3) to appoint official agents to arrange travel, for those attending COP26.

Lord Callanan: We continue to encourage all delegates to consider low-carbon travel options, such as rail, particularly those arriving from Europe. We have had early engagement with the International Union of Railways to understand what may be done to enhance the take up of rail travel to Glasgow from Europe. Rail travel within the UK will certainly be encouraged and we are in the process of developing a multifaceted transport plan that is ISO2012 compliant, supports the delegate experience and has sustainability at its core.

Housing: Heating

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of heat pumps being installed in homes.

Lord Callanan: As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister outlined in the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, we are putting in place policies to scale up the deployment of heat pumps. Our ambition is to reach 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, by creating a market-led incentive framework to drive growth, and we will bring forward regulations to support this. More details will be provided when our Heat and Buildings Strategy is published next year. In addition, the Government is providing financial support to help install heat pumps. Through the Renewable Heat Incentive, we are spending an estimated £1bn in 2020/21 to encourage the deployment of low carbon technologies, including heat pumps, in homes and businesses across Great Britain. Furthermore, we have extended the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive until March 2022 and committed £100m to the Clean Heat Grant, which is expected to be introduced in April 2022. And heat pumps also qualify for the Green Homes Grant, the £2bn government-funded voucher scheme which is already helping people install energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures in their homes; reducing their energy bills and their carbon emissions.

Housing: Heating

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their Heat and Buildings Strategy.

Lord Callanan: The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in the new year, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings. These actions include the deployment of energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating as part of an ambitious programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions on how we achieve the mass transition to low-carbon heat and set us on a path to decarbonising all homes and buildings.

Tidal Power

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the stimulation of the development of tidal power.

Lord Callanan: To date, nine tidal stream developers have received funding from BEIS under the Renewables Obligation scheme. In addition to that, one tidal stream developer has received funding through BEIS’ Energy Innovation Programme. Tidal stream projects are also eligible for Contracts for Difference (CFD)auctions. We will consider the role of wave and tidal energy, following further evaluation of the commercial and technical evidence.

Department of Health and Social Care

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a suspect, accompanied by police officers, was required to wait three hours for treatment at Gloucester Royal Hospital; and what discussions they have had with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to ensure such incidents do not reoccur.

Lord Bethell: Patients are treated in order of clinical priority. Therefore, whilst there is a need to not delay police officers in accident and emergency departments (A&E) any longer than is necessary, patients with non-urgent needs may have to wait during busy times.The national A&E performance target is target is for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. Therefore, a three hour wait is within the national guidelines.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: Death

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients awaiting transfer to wards have died in (1) corridors, (2) nurses’ stations, and (3) cubicles, at Gloucester Royal Hospital in the last six months.

Lord Bethell: The information is not available in format requested.

Hospital Beds

Lord Robathan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Bethell on 1 December (HL Deb, cols 717–21), how many hospitals have no spare bed capacity; and how many beds are currently occupied above the seasonal norm.

Lord Bethell: Data on overall spare hospital bed capacity is not collected in the format requested. Data collections on hospital beds are divided into key bed subgroups, including general and acute beds, critical care beds and mental health beds. Hospital bed capacity is not fixed and can be scaled according to requirement.Additionally, there is no official agreed seasonal norm for bed occupancy.

General Practitioners: Registration

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what percentage of the adult population, and (2) how many adults, in England are registered with a general practitioner.

Lord Bethell: The percentage of the adult population in England who are registered with a general practitioner is not held centrally.The number of adults aged 18 or over on 1 December 2020 registered at a general practitioner practice in England was 48,313,398.

Protective Clothing: Procurement

Lord Strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the clearance board put in place by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Cabinet Office to approve contracts for personal protective equipment worth more than £5 million; and how many contractshave they approved so far this year.

Lord Bethell: The clearance board was chaired by the Government’s Deputy Chief Commercial Officer or the Department’s Commercial Director. Standing members were the Commercial Officer, the Commercial Director and the Department’s Deputy Director of Procurement and the Deputy Director of Finance. It was also attended by a number of cross Government and cross functional teams including Government Legal Department, the Department’s anti-fraud unit, and Department for Health and Social Care and Cabinet Office’s commercial colleagues. All these personnel were Government officials.The role of the board was to decide whether any deal of £5 million or more should be passed to the Department’s procurement and finance teams for accounting officer consideration and final formal approval.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of including blood donors in the priority groups of those to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Lord Bethell: In line with the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the vaccine is being rolled out to priority groups including care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and health and care workers. The vaccine is then being prioritised amongst the rest of the population in order of age and risk, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and all individuals aged 16-64 years old with underlying health conditions.Blood donors range between those aged 17 years old to over 70 years old. While blood donors are not in the priority group to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, some donors are likely to receive a vaccine as part of the national roll-out.

Protective Clothing: Procurement

Lord Strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bethell on 1 December (HL10548), what representations they have received about the inexperience of personal protective equipment suppliers awarded a Government contract this year; and what assessment they have made of the impact on public confidence in the probity of their procurement process of their refusal to disclose non-commercial information about the companies whose offers were reviewed in a timely manner.

Lord Bethell: The Government issued a public call to action to support the increased requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE) in March and has always been clear that the purpose of this was to reach suppliers who not only had experience of supplying PPE but also those who had no prior experience but who had access to sources of PPE through their business contacts or could re-purpose to supply PPE. This resulted in over 15,000 suppliers offering their help and support.All offers went through the same eight stage assurance process which selected suppliers based on the product type, clinical acceptability, price, forecasted delivery dates, volume and financial standing.All the Contract Award Notices for these PPE contacts have now been published online as well as the majority of the contracts themselves and the balance will be published shortly. These contain the details of all suppliers awarded a PPE contract, the value of the contract and the items ordered under the contract.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of (1) syringes, (2) vials, and (3) other medical equipment required for a national COVID-19 vaccination programme they have (a) purchased, and (b) ordered.

Lord Bethell: Purchase orders have been raised for all required medical equipment to support a vaccination programme and further orders have been made to support the ongoing deployment. NHS England have published the Supply Service Inventory List online.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the priority that should be given to making a COVID-19 vaccine available to people with diabetes.

Lord Bethell: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consists of independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI has advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.Therefore, in line with the recommendations of the JCVI, the vaccine will be initially rolled out to the priority groups including care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and health and care workers,. The vaccine will then be prioritised amongst the rest of the population in order of age and risk, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and all individuals aged 16-64 years old with underlying health conditions such as diabetes.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: Road Traffic

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to prevent ambulances from being unable to access Gloucester Royal Hospital Accident and Emergency Department due to congestion; and what plans they have to reopen Cheltenham General Hospital Accident and Emergency Department to ease ambulance congestion at Gloucester Royal Hospital.

Lord Bethell: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continues to manage combined pandemic and urgent care pressures. The Trust is not aware of traffic congestion causing delays in ambulance access.The temporary closure of the accident and emergency department at Cheltenham General Hospital was agreed until 31 March 2021, when services are planned to resume.

Department for Education

Educational Institutions: Inspections

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that education inspection bodies focus on skills provision when inspecting education providers.

Baroness Berridge: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the peer and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Children: Day Care

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Department for Education report Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and COVID-19, published on 26 October, that 45 per cent of nurseries and pre-schools and 55 per cent of childminders expect to remain financially sustainable for the next year; and what action they intend to take to support those childcare providers who do not expect to remain financially sustainable.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises the importance of supporting the early years sector financially during the COVID-19 outbreak.We are continuing to fund childcare at the same level as before the COVID-19 outbreak, until the end of the calendar year, giving nurseries and childminders another term of secure income, regardless of how many children are attending. Early years settings will continue to benefit from a planned £3.6 billion in funding for the 2020/21 financial year, to create free early education and childcare places.My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced on 25 November 2020 a further £44 million investment for the 2021/22 financial year. We can now also confirm that in the 2021/22 financial year, we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 8p an hour for the 2 year old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 6p an hour for the 3 and 4 year old entitlement. This will pay for a rate increase that is higher than the costs nurseries may face from the uplift to the national living wage in April 2020.Additionally, the government has provided a package of support for individuals and businesses which are directly benefitting providers of childcare. This includes business rates relief and grants, the extended Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which will remain open until April 2021, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500.Our ‘Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers and COVID-19 (Coronavirus)’, published on 26 October 2020, contains information on early years providers’ use of the CJRS and how many childminders applied for and received government support. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/survey-of-childcare-and-early-years-providers-and-covid-19-coronavirus.At the time of the survey (July 2020), 76% per cent of open group-based providers and 14% of open school-based providers reported having made use of the CJRS at any point.At the time of the survey, all childminders were asked whether they had applied for any financial support from the government due to loss of income (for example, via the SEISS or the Small Business Grant Scheme). The majority of all childminders (86%) reported having applied for financial support from the government. Of these, 80% have received support and 6% had applied for but not yet received support. 14% of childminders had not applied for financial support.The government continues to work closely with both local authorities and early years sector organisations to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the sector. We continue to both look at the costs associated with the outbreak and to secure the best and most appropriate support for the sector.

Digital Technology: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce digital skills programmes targeted at unemployed elderly people.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises the importance of digital skills for employability and participation in society. This is why we introduced a legal entitlement in August 2020 for adults with no or low digital skills to study new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 for free. The digital entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths and will provide adults with the digital skills needed for life and work. EDSQs are a new qualification type, based on new national standards for essential digital skills, designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills. We also continue to support the provision of basic digital skills training for?adults in community learning settings through the Adult Education Budget. In April 2020, we launched The Skills Toolkit, which packages up over 70 free, high quality courses from everyday maths and essential digital skills, to digital marketing and coding. We have also introduced the Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. In September 2020, these were launched in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Liverpool City Region (including Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral). They were initially focused on digital skills such as software development, digital marketing and data analytics. They will be extended to West Yorkshire, Devon, Somerset, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the new year. The bootcamps provide the valuable skills that employers need and are linked to job opportunities. From April 2021, we will be investing a further £43 million through the National Skills Fund to extend Skills Bootcamps further in England. These bootcamps will cover not only digital skills but also technical skills training including welding, engineering and construction. As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, from April 2021 any adult aged 24 and over looking to achieve their first level 3 (which is equivalent to a technical certificate or diploma, or two full A levels) will be able to access a fully funded course. The offer includes a range of qualifications that are valuable across the economy in multiple sectors including digital skills. From early 2021, to support older people to find work and build the skills they need to get into work, the Jobcentre Plus will provide a new online one-to-one job finding support service to those who have been unemployed for up to 13 weeks to increase their chances of finding employment. We have launched Local Digital Skills Partnerships (DSPs) in seven trailblazer regions across England. Local DSPs bring together cross-sector regional and national partners to work collaboratively to upskill the current workforce, advance digital inclusion, and build thriving regional economies. Local DSPs have been playing an important role in the response to COVID-19, collaborating with local organisations and national partners to help individuals and businesses build digital skills and resilience, and support vulnerable groups gain access to digital devices and connectivity. We have also delivered a £400,000 Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to help older and disabled people acquire digital skills. The three pilots aimed to help ensure that ‘what works’ on digital inclusion is identified, replicated and scaled. One of the pilots, run by the Uttlesford Council for Voluntary Service in West Essex, has designed ‘smart homes’ where more ‘tech savvy’ older homeowners are trained by ‘digital boomers’ on how to use the technology that is added to their homes. This allows these older people to showcase how to use the technology within their own homes to their peers before they have their own homes made into a smart home. A full independent evaluation will be published soon to share learnings from this fund.

Department for Education: Data Protection

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking further to the findings in the report by the Information Commissioner's Office Department for Education: Data protection audit report, published on 7 October, that the Data Protection Officer of the Department for Education is not meeting the requirements of Articles 37 to 39 of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the findings in the report by the Information Commissioner's Office Department for Education: Data protection audit report, published on 7 October, what training staff at the Department for Education are receiving about (1) information governance, (2) data protection, (3) records management, (4) risk assessment, (5) data sharing, and (6) information, internal security and individual rights.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made Ofsted aware of the Information Commissioner's Office's Department for Education: Data protection audit report, published on 7 October.

Baroness Berridge: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 24 November 2020 to Question HL10194.The department mandates the “Responsible for Information” course provided by Civil Service Learning. We are reviewing the current training requirements. The department has been working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) since the audit was undertaken in February 2020 to address all the recommendations. We will be publishing a formal response in January 2021, which will include an update on the training offering for the department.Ofsted have been present at briefings on the audit the department has given to the data protection Arm’s Length Body Network. The formal response to the ICO audit will also be available to Ofsted.

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support they plan to provide to children with disabilities and special educational needs who are isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Berridge: For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), teachers are best placed to know how their needs can be most effectively met to ensure that they continue to make progress, even if they are not able to attend school due to following COVID-19 guidance and the law. The requirement for schools to use their ‘best endeavours’ to meet the special educational needs of their pupils remains in place. Schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place adjustments so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education alongside their peers. This expectation is set out in guidance for schools, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools. To provide greater clarity, we have published a temporary continuity direction, which makes clear that schools have a duty to provide remote education for state-funded school-age pupils, including those with SEND, where they are unable to attend school due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This came into effect on 22 October 2020. An explanatory note is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/923539/Remote_Education_Temporary_Continuity_Direction_-__Explanatory_Note.pdf. Where a child or young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan, it remains the duty of the local authority, and any health commissioning bodies, to secure or arrange any special educational and health care provision specified in the plan. We recognise that it may become very difficult to do so in certain circumstances, including where the child or young person is self-isolating. In these circumstances, decisions on how provision can be delivered should be taken on a case-by-case basis, informed by the factors relevant to the individual case. This includes, for example, the types of services that the child or young person can access remotely, such as online teaching and remote therapy sessions. To support the hard work of schools in delivering remote education, we have made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for reception up to year 11. Specialist content for pupils with SEND is also available. This covers communication and language, numeracy, creative arts, independent living, physical development and early development learning. Additionally, Oak offers therapy-based lessons and resources across occupational, physical, sensory, and speech and language therapy. As part of over £195 million invested to support access to remote education and online social care, over 340,000 laptops and tablets are being made available this term to support disadvantaged children in years 3 to 11, whose face-to-face education may be disrupted. This supplements over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers, which have already been delivered during the summer term. Schools, trusts, and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device. Schools are expected to lend these laptops and tablets to disadvantaged pupils who would not otherwise be able to access remote education in years 3 to 11, including those with SEND. Schools will also be able to order laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children across all year groups who are shielding as a result of official or medical advice, all year groups who attend a hospital school that is required to close, and those completing their key stage 4 at a further education college that is required to close. The department has announced £37.3 million for the Family Fund this year to support over 75,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This includes £10 million to specifically address needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Teachers: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase recruitment of (1) Black, (2) Asian, and (3) other ethnic minority, teachers.

Baroness Berridge: We recognise the importance of having a diverse teaching workforce. It enriches our schools, benefits our teachers and supports more diverse role models for our young people.The department is building and rolling out a new application service for initial teacher training (ITT). ‘Apply for teacher training’ has been designed and extensively tested with a diverse range of potential applicants, to ensure it helps remove barriers to potentially great teachers applying for ITT courses. ‘Apply for teacher training’ is currently in public beta, running alongside the existing application service for teacher training: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training. As we roll the service out further, we will continue to develop and test interventions to support people from diverse backgrounds to become teachers.The department’s ‘Teaching – Every Lesson Shapes A Life’ recruitment campaign is targeted at audiences of students, recent graduates and potential career changers inclusive of all ethnicities, and we take every effort to ensure that our advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials we use.Our two most recent TV advertisements reflect the diversity of the profession, featuring teachers from black, Asian and ethnic minorities (BAME) in both primary and secondary settings. We also feature BAME teachers across the rest of our campaign, including in newspapers, email communications, printed information materials, on the internet and across social media, which helps us to achieve this balance overall.

Schools: Discipline

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the use of restorative practice, and (2) prioritisingconflict resolution over punishment in schools, to reducethe number of pupil exclusions.

Baroness Berridge: Good behaviour in schools is crucial if children are to learn and reach their full potential. As well as delivering excellent teaching, schools should be calm, orderly, and disciplined environments free from the low-level disruption that prevents teachers from teaching, and pupils from studying.All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy outlining measures to encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour. Schools may use a range of techniques to support good behaviour, and the department trusts schools to have policies which suit the communities they serve. There is no right number of expulsions, but we are clear that expulsion should only be used as a last resort. Expulsion from school should not mean expulsion from a good quality education and support to reduce risk and vulnerability.The department has published a range of advice and guidance to support schools to develop effective behaviour approaches. This advice can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools.We have an ambitious programme in place to improve behaviour across the school system, including improving Continuing Professional Development for teachers and school staff through the Early Career Framework and the revised National Professional Qualifications, which are due to launch in September 2021. The department is investing £10 million through the behaviour hubs programme, so that schools with exemplary behaviour cultures can work closely with schools that want and need to improve their behaviour. The first hubs are planned to launch in Spring 2021 and will run for an initial period of 3 years. More information about the behaviour hubs programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/behaviour-hubs.

Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by OfstedCOVID-19 series: briefing on early years, October 2020, published on 10 November, what plans they have tosupport children in early years settings whose communication and language skills have fallen behind since the first COVID-19 national lockdown.

Baroness Berridge: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are spending up to £9 million of the National Tutoring Programme fund, in the 2020/21 academic year, on the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, a robustly evidenced programme proven to improve oral language skills in the reception year.The recent Spending Review has confirmed that the department will fund further expansion of an evidence-based reception year early language programme in the 2021/22 academic year.We are also investing £20 million in a high-quality professional development programme for early years practitioners to drive up standards in maths, early language, and literacy amongst pre-reception children in disadvantaged areas of 51 local authorities.Additionally, over 3,000 early adopter schools are implementing the reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from September 2020, ahead of statutory roll out in September 2021. One of the main aims of the revised framework is to improve early years outcomes for all children, particularly disadvantaged children, in the critical areas that build the foundation for later success, such as language development.As part of the reforms, we have revised the educational programmes to strengthen teaching practice in communication and language, providing a deeper focus on building vocabulary to address the word gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. Further information on the early adopter EYFS framework can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896810/EYFS_Early_Adopter_Framework.pdf.

GCE A-level and GCSE: Assessments

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government who will comprise the membership of the expert group that will advise the Secretary of State for Education on arrangements for GCSE and A level examinations in 2021.

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthey expect to receive the report of the expert group tasked with advising the Secretary of State for Education on arrangements for GCSE and A level examinations in 2021.

Baroness Berridge: The department recognises the challenges faced by schools, teachers, and students, and understands that disruption has been felt differently across the country, between schools and colleges in the same area, and between students within individual institutions.In addition to a package of measures announced to ensure exams are delivered fairly next summer, the department confirmed the launch of an expert advisory group to consider the differential impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on pupils and recommend mitigations for these impacts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams. The expert advisory group is expected to provide initial advice in the early Spring, ensuring that any further policies recommended to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education support the measures already announced and are developed with the education sector. We are working to finalise the terms of reference and membership of the group and will ensure that membership is representative of the sector, and geographically diverse.

Secondary Education: Protective Clothing

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the wearing of face masks in secondary schools.

Baroness Berridge: The department has published comprehensive guidance on the use of face coverings in schools, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.At each stage of its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has listened to and acted on the latest medical and scientific advice, and if we think that the guidance should be revised based on further evidence then we will not hesitate to act swiftly and decisively.When an area moves to the local restriction tier 2: ‘high’, 3: ‘very high’ or 4: ‘stay at home’, in schools where year 7 and above are taught, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around indoors, outside of classrooms, for example in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain.As the guidance outlines, based on current evidence, and in light of the mitigation measures that schools have put in place, face coverings are not necessary in the classroom. Schools and colleges that are in local restriction tier 1: ‘medium’ will have the discretion to require the use of face coverings in indoor communal areas, outside of classrooms, where social distancing cannot be safely managed, if they believe that it is appropriate in their particular circumstances.We continue to provide information to schools and other education and childcare settings on our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications.

Teachers: Health

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the mental health and wellbeing of teachers.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises the pressure that head teachers and teachers are under. We thank them for all that they have done, and continue to do, to educate and support children and young people as we respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.Last year, the government set up an expert advisory group to advise on the wellbeing of staff in schools and colleges. The group’s recommendations were accepted by ministers and published in June 2020. They can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/890547/Nick_Gibb_letter_to_EAG.pdf.As a result, the department has made a range of commitments to support the wellbeing of teachers and other education professionals in schools and colleges. These include the creation of a wellbeing charter for the teaching sector. The charter will help create an open culture around wellbeing and mental health, breaking down stigma, and will include a range of commitments by the government, and for employers in schools and colleges, to promote and protect staff wellbeing.The department also took rapid action to help support the mental health needs of school leaders, by funding a pilot, led by Education Support, to provide online peer-support and telephone supervision from experts to school leaders. This service will run until March 2021.Alongside this, the government has invested millions in mental health charities and in support for teachers. This includes £8 million on a training programme run by experts to tackle the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on pupils, parents, and staff. Through the ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ training programme, we are supporting staff in schools and colleges to respond to the additional pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as any anxieties they, or their teachers, may be experiencing. Further information on this programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/8m-programme-to-boost-pupil-and-teacher-wellbeing.

Schools

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of road congestion resulting from disruption linked to the end of the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU on the ability of schools in affected areas to open.

Baroness Berridge: We are working with the Department for Transport to understand the impact travel disruption may have on schools following the end of the transition period. We are working closely with stakeholders, including Kent County Council, to support their planning for any potential disruption and ensure contingency plans are in place. Schools should remain open wherever it is possible and safe to do so.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Coronavirus

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases were outstanding (1) in the Crown Court of England and Wales, and (2) in the magistrates’ courts, in each month of 2020.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The volume of outstanding cases in the criminal courts is published routinely. The latest available data for the number of cases outstanding (1) in the Crown Court of England and Wales, and (2) in the Magistrates’ courts, in each month of 2020 has been provided in the table below.   Magistrates1-3 Crown1,2MonthOutstandingOutstandingJan-20314,16938,411Feb-20316,81839,218Mar-20337,89740,037Apr-20391,22840,997May-20415,55941,342Jun-20433,51642,459Jul-20444,17344,892Aug-20443,60547,544Sep-20424,65150,123Oct-20411,80752,133Notes:1) The management information presented in this table reflects what is recorded on relevant case-management systems on the date of extraction. The case-management systems are continually updated and so the information presented will differ from previously published information.2) The management information presented is different from the quarterly MOJ official statistics published due to timing and definitional reasons. The official statistics go through a more comprehensive quality assurance and analysis process to ensure quality and coherence.3) Figures above include all case offence types. However, MOJ published statistics are filtered to include only the following offence types: Triable-either-way, Indictable Only, Summary Motoring, Summary Non-Motoring, Breaches.

Juries

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the average wait time between charge and sentence for crimes tried by jury was (1) in each year from 2008 to 2019, and (2) in each month of 2020.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The average number of days taken from charge to completion for crimes tried by jury in the Crown Court in England and Wales between the period of 2008 to 2019 has been provided in the table below. The average waiting time between charge and completion for crimes tried by jury in the Crown Court in England and Wales in each month of 2020 is not available at this time. This is due to MoJ changing its data gathering, access and release practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Number of defendants whose cases have completed 5Charge to completion NumberMeanMedian 2010 Q2-Q472,916204174 201192,813210178 201282,214212179 2013 776,134196165 201476,531206174 201576,818232189 201669,563234186 201764,592224178 201864,852239188 201957,463226178  Notes:1) Includes cases with an offence to completion time greater than 10 years but excludes a small number of cases with identified data quality issues and breaches. 2) Includes all for trial criminal cases (triable-either-way and indictable only cases) which have received a verdict and concluded in the specified time period in the Crown Court. This data also includes cases where the prosecutor has chosen not to continue with the prosecution. Not all cases included in this data will have gone to a full jury trial, for example where the defendant has pleaded guilty before their trial date.3) Only one offence is counted for each defendant in the case. If there is more than one offence per defendant that completes on the same day, a set of validation rules applies to select one offence only and these relate to the longest duration, seriousness and the lowest sequence number of the offence.4) Data from Q1 2018 to Q4 2019 are not comparable with previous periods and there is a requirement to break the series. The data from Q1 2018 onwards has been revised following the identification of defendant attrition through the timeliness process, as a result these defendants have been put back into the analysis. It is our intention to investigate the more efficient and effective way to provide robust and reliable back series in future.5) The number of defendants shows the number whose cases have completed and where it has been possible to match from initial appearance at magistrates’ court to completion in the Crown Court. The match rate is typically between 90-95%, as for some cases, it is not possible to match defendants through the system and these cases are excluded.6) Timeliness figures are only available from April 2010, so data for 2010 is presented above for Q2 to Q4 only.7) Committal proceedings were abolished nationally on 28th May 2013. Triable-either-way cases are now sent rather than committed for trial.

Crown Court: Trials

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trials have been completed in the Crown Court of England and Wales in each month of 2020.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Crown Court trials which proceed on the planned date are recorded as effective. We do not record trials in the Crown Court under a category of completed.Data showing effective trials in each month of 2020 in England and Wales, can been found in the table below.Published data is up to September 2020 (the end of Q3) and we are unable to provide data past that point.Year Month Number of effective trials1 2020January906  February824  March520  April-  May8  June61  July200  August275  September471 Notes:1). The total number of trials listed during the reporting period indicated, is considered 'effective' once a jury is sworn in regardless of whether they go on to reach a verdict. Not all cases will go to trial, for the purposes of trial effectiveness we consider a ‘trial’ at the point of initial listing. A trial which goes ahead on the planned date and occurs is then considered as ‘effective’, a trial that is listed but does not go ahead is considered either cracked, ineffective or vacated.

Courts: Coronavirus

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hours each of the 'Nightingale Courts' have been (1) open, and (2) sitting for court business, in each month since July.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: As part of our recovery plans across all jurisdictions, Nightingale Courts have enabled us to open a great deal of additional court capacity.All 18 of the existing Nightingale Courts operate regular court opening hours of 9-5pm, and this will apply also to the additional five Nightingale sites announced this week. Data on sitting days in each court is recorded under their parent court. It is therefore not possible to disaggregate the data with sufficient granularity to set out sitting hours in each Nightingale.

Courts: Coronavirus

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases have been heard to date in each of the 'Nightingale Courts'.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority. By opening 18 Nightingale courts, we have added vital capacity and provided 33 extra court rooms, alleviating the pressure on courts and tribunals resulting from the pandemic. Additionally, we have secured £30m of funding to open a further 40 Nightingale court rooms in early 2021.We do not break down data on cases heard in Nightingale Courts.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 28 January (HL435), how they calculated the 13.6 per cent of UK Official Development Assistance spent on sexual and reproductive health and rights in 2017–18.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In the written answer HL435, the percentage's numerator was calculated as the sum of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health spend using the Muskoka Methodology for Calculating Baselines and Commitments.The percentage's denominator is FCDO total programme spend.The data source used was the FCDO spending publication "Statistics on International Development 2017 to 2018: GPEX tables".

Special Envoy for Girls' Education

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to replace the role of Special Envoy on Girls Education; and, if so, when will that be announced.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to replace the role of Special Envoy on Gender Equality; and, if so, when will that be announced.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Gender equality is a core part of the FCDO's work as a force for good in the world. The UK is committed to promoting every girl's right to 12 years of quality education, by working to accelerate progress towards getting marginalised girls into schools, staying there, and staying safe. Between 2015 and 2020, we supported 8.1 million girls gain access to a decent education. The Strategic Vision for Gender Equality reflects and responds to the UK Government's ambitions, and works alongside our National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security. We will update on the Envoy in due course.

Lebanon: Overseas Aid

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have given to the government of Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut on 4 August.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains committed to supporting the Lebanese people deal with the tragic explosion in Beirut Port. The UK was one of the biggest donors to the crisis. We have now spent over £27 million in our response package which is helping support the most vulnerable people in Lebanon to meet their immediate survival needs. A British team of medics specialising in trauma, emergency nursing and rehabilitation flew out on 7 August, and we also provided medical equipment for Lebanese hospitals and clinics. In addition, the UK gave medical, strategic air transport, engineering and communications support to the Lebanese Armed Forces as they responded to the explosion and its aftermath, and the Royal Navy ship HMS Enterprise was deployed to survey the damage to the Port.

Xinjiang: Uighurs

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Uighurforced labour is being used in Xinjiangfor the production of cotton for garments sold internationally; and what action they intend to take for breaches of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government takes all allegations of modern slavery and forced labour extremely seriously, including the growing reports of forced labour in Xinjiang. We have repeatedly urged businesses involved in investing in Xinjiang, or with parts of their supply chains in the region, to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support any human rights violations or abuses.Under the Modern Slavery Act, the UK is the first country in the world to require businesses to report on the action they are taking to tackle and prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Following an independent review, the Home Office announced plans in September to strengthen the Act and the transparency in thousands of business and public body supply chains. These measures will require legislative change and will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Iran: Political Prisoners

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter sent by UN Human Rights special rapporteursto the government of Iran on3 September about the alleged extrajudicial mass executions of political dissidents in 1988 in Iran; and what plans they have tosupport the call for an international investigation into reports of such executions in prisons perpetrated by that government.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We read the letter of 3 September with deep concern. The UK Government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and takes any allegations of extrajudicial killings seriously. We strongly support the work done by the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, and have always been clear that Iran must uphold its international legal obligations, including conducting thorough and independent investigations into suspected human rights violations.We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record. Furthermore, we urge Iran to allow the Special Rapporteur access to the country, so that he can conduct research and investigations into human rights concerns reported there, including the 1988 incident.

Kameel Ahmady

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Kameel Ahmady being sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on 13 December; and what assessment they have made of the impact of his research on (1) female genital mutilation, and (2) child marriage, on his conviction.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are urgently seeking more information from the Iranian Government about reports that Kameel Ahmady, a dual British national, has been sentenced. We do not have sight of the Iranian judicial process or what formal charges have been brought against him. We remain deeply concerned about all our dual British nationals detained in Iran.

Iran: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take in response to the statement by UN Special Rapporteurs on the execution of Ruhollah Zam, published on 14 December; what assessment they have made of that statementcalling his conviction, treatment in detention and execution a"serious violation of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights"; and what assessment they have made of the human rights situation in Iran.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As we said on 13 December, we are appalled by the execution of Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam. The UK Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We assess that Iran's human rights situation has worsened over the course of this year. It's record remains of serious concern to the UK and the FCDO has designated Iran as one of its Human Rights Priority Countries.We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record.

Nagorno Karabakh: War Crimes

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of reports that two men were beheaded inthe Nagorno-Karabakh region by men in the uniform of Azerbaijani armed forces; and what steps they intend to take (1) toinvestigate these reports, and (2) to refer this case to the International Criminal Court.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is aware of videos that purport to show appalling acts of violence including beheadings during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Where it is possible to verify the footage and reports, we raise our concerns with the relevant Governments. It is for those Governments to ensure that their armed forces do not commit war crimes and to investigate any allegations. Any decision to make a referral to the International Criminal Court must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring perpetrators of atrocities and those who have assisted them to account. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas has raised allegations of war crimes with both Governments and urged that they be thoroughly investigated.

Hong Kong: HSBC

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that HSBC has frozen the bank accounts of (1) the Good Neighbourhood North District Church in Hong Kong, and (2) its pastor and his wife; and what assessment they have made of whether such action has been taken because of that Church’s links with pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.

Syria: Yazidis

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of arrests by Faylaq Al-Sham of people in Yazidi villages near Afrin in northwest Syria on 4 December; what assessment they have made of the wellbeing of those who have been arrested; and what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about (1) the release of any such people, and (2) the protection of Yazidis in Afrin.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports of arrests near Afrin in north-west Syria. Ministers and officials regularly discuss the situation in Syria with the Government of Turkey. In those discussions we make clear the importance of all parties to the Syrian conflict abiding by their obligations under international law. We have not raised the specific report of arrests near Afrin or made any assessment of the welfare of those detained.

Syria: Sanctions

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the government of the United States' special representative for Syria engagement and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, on 9 December, what discussions they have had with that government about whether its objectives in Syria include (1) the denial of territory, and (2) resources to, the government of Syria.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: HMG regularly discusses the situation in Syria with the US administration. On 22 October the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State, along with foreign ministers of other likeminded countries, issued a joint statement that made clear our support for a political solution to end the conflict, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That statement once again reaffirmed our shared position that such a solution must preserve the territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty of Syria. We will continue to use targeted sanctions to increase pressure on the Assad regime to engage seriously with the political process.

Jerusalem: Religious Buildings

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they havemade to the government of Israelabout the demolition of a historic stairway which leads to Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Jerusalem Municipality as part of their plans to establish the "Biblical garden path".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has not made representations on this specific issue. The holy sites of Jerusalem hold particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo in order to ensure the safety and security of Al Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount and all who worship and visit there. We support the freedom of Muslims to worship at Al Haram Al Sharif. In our meetings with the Israeli authorities we regularly raise the need to respect the status quo of the holy sites in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Taiwan: Sovereignty

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to coordinate international partners to supportTaiwan's sovereignty.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our international partners are aware of the UK's longstanding position on Taiwan, which has not changed. The Taiwan issue is one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, through constructive dialogue. The UK does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but we do have a strong, unofficial relationship, based on dynamic commercial, educational and cultural ties.

China: HSBC

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between HSBC Bank and the Chinese Communist Party.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.

Hong Kong: HSBC

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to HSBC Bank following that bank's suspension of the bank accounts of pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about (1) their decision to designate the Yemeni Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, and (2) the impact of such a designation on the ability of aid agencies to deliver humanitarian supplies in that region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has discussed this matter with the United States Government. We share the concerns about Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp destabilising activity in Yemen and condemn the ongoing Houthi cross-border attacks. However, Yemen is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and our main priority is to support the UN's peace process and ensure life-saving humanitarian aid can reach the millions of Yemenis in need. We are not considering proscribing at this time. We keep the use of sanctions under review.

Yemen: Food Supply

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s assessment of the Food Insecurity Situation in Yemen that (1) 16,500 Yemeni’s are facing a “catastrophic, famine-like situation”, and (2) that this number could increase to 47,000 by June 2021; and what plans they have to increase aid spending in Yemen.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is extremely concerned about increased levels of food insecurity and risk of famine in Yemen, with thousands of people already in famine conditions and 13.5 million Yemeni people at risk of starving or struggling to get enough food to feed their families according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) data. We have been sounding the alarm on Yemen since September, when we announced an additional £30.8 million in UK aid specifically for famine prevention.On 3 December, in response to the release of the IPC data, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £14 million in UK aid to Yemen. This new funding will help 1.5 million households access food and medicines, and takes the UK's commitment to £214 million this financial year (2020/21). We continue to urge the international community to step up, including though urgently disbursing humanitarian funding, supporting the economy and encouraging the parties to engage in new peace talks led by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

Nigeria: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the re-designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the government of the United States; and whether they intend to take similar steps.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The decision by the US to designate Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern for Religious Freedom" is a matter for the Governments of Nigeria and the US.The UK is committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world. We are a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right and promoting respect between communities of different religions and those of no religion. Nigeria is a secular state and the right to freedom of religion or belief is protected by the constitution. In Nigeria we engage with a range of faith-based communities and support inter-faith peacebuilding and dialogue. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect those at risk of violence, to bring perpetrators to justice, and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence and meet the needs of all communities.

Ethiopia: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Ethiopia about reports that it has refused the offer of international co-operation in investigating the Mai Kadra massacre; if they have, what response they received; and, if not, whether they intend to make representations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government of Ethiopia indicated on 8 December that it would conduct the initial investigation into the reported killing of civilians on 9 November in Mai Kadra. Since 8 December, we have spoken with representatives of the Government of Ethiopia about the nature of that investigation and to make clear that HMG supports the call by the Ethiopian Commission for Human Rights for the independent investigation of human rights abuses and violations.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of (1) the economic and (2) the political, situation in Zimbabwe.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply worried about the state of the Zimbabwean economy, which continues to face unprecedented challenges largely due to poor fiscal policies and mismanagement by the Government. Corruption continues to hamper Zimbabwe's development by capturing public and private resources, distorting economic-decision making and undermining governance and accountability. We continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe to make the comprehensive and difficult reforms needed to address Zimbabwe's economic challenges.We are equally concerned by the political and human rights situation. Zimbabwe remains one of the UK's 30 human rights priority countries globally. We have been clear that the Government of Zimbabwe must meet its international and domestic obligations by respecting the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, and committing to genuine political and economic reform for the benefit of all Zimbabweans. The Minister for Africa delivered these messages when he spoke to Foreign Minister Moyo on 8 June, and in a letter he wrote to the Foreign Minister on 12 August. Our Ambassador in Harare reinforced these messages when she met Foreign Minister Moyo on 3 December.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of (1) the economic and (2) the political, situation in Venezuela.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The economic crisis in Venezuela continues to deepen, exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. It is forecast that by the end of 2020, Venezuela will be recording an 80% contraction in GDP since 2014. Chronic economic mismanagement, hyperinflation, a massive exodus of Venezuelan talent as a result of the disastrous political and humanitarian situation, and repeated critical infrastructure failures are all factors contributing to this. The UNHCR calculates that more than 5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees have left Venezuela, the largest exodus of people in South American history. Economic activity is at minimal levels, and the fiscal balance has worsened.The political crisis has been further complicated by the Maduro regime taking forward an illegitimate legislative election on 6 December. Many opposition parties, led by interim constitutional President Juan Guaido, refused to participate because of electoral conditions that were neither free nor credible. The FCDO published a statement on 7 December, making clear that the UK considers the election to have been illegitimate, and does not recognise the result. The International Contact Group on Venezuela, the Organisation of American States, the Lima Group, and others have all made similar statements. We will continue to work closely with like-minded partners.

Venezuela: Elections

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 6 December (1) that they do not recognise the result of the illegitimate Venezuelan National Assembly election held on 6 December, and (2) calling for democracy to be restored in Venezuela.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK does not recognise the legitimacy of the Venezuelan legislative elections held on 6 December. Electoral conditions were neither free nor fair, and did not reach international democratic standards. We welcome the strong international condemnation of the elections by the International Contact Group (ICG) on Venezuela, the Organisation of American States, the European Union, and others. Staff at our Embassy in Caracas, and in London talk regularly with opposition leaders. We are discussing next steps with like-minded partners in both Europe and the Americas.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to address any shortfall in funding for the World Health Organization-led Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, and (2) to ensure global equitable access (a) to tests, (b) to treatments, and (c) to vaccines, to prevent economic damage to low and lower middle income countries; and what representations they have made to international partners to address any such shortfall in funding.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, treatments, and tests. This is demonstrated by our strong support for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The UK is its largest bilateral donor, contributing up to £813 million to the ACT-Accelerator partners. This includes up to £548 million for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which is the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines as well as other important medical technologies.The UK recognises that there are critical ACT-Accelerator funding gaps. We continue to encourage international partners to actively work together to mobilise the resources needed, both bilaterally and in international fora.

Developing Countries: Family Planning and Genito-urinary Medicine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 8 December (HL11055), what DAC codes are used to calculate all the listed annually estimated FCDO spending.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) codes included to calculate the estimated Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spending under our usual methodologies for the written answer HL11055 includes health policy, health systems, reproductive health care, family planning, STD control, Water and Sanitation, Nutrition, Malaria, TB, and Infectious disease control. For more details please refer to: https://euromapping.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/EM2018-Methodology.pdfThe DAC codes included under the Muskoka 2 report to calculate the estimated FCDO spending cover a similar list to the above with the addition of Humanitarian sector codes. For more details please refer to: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30005-X/fulltext

Hong Kong: HSBC

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with HSBC Bank about the freezing of the bank accounts of pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong; what assessment they have made of the implications of such practices for the continued eligibility of HSBC to have a headquarters in London; and what specific plans they have to prevent financial institutions from subverting democracy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.

Iran: Nuclear Power

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the incoming US presidential administration about the future of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran, Germany and the UN Security Council permanent members.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: President-elect Biden has said that if Iran returns to compliance with the deal, the US would re-enter the agreement and seek to both strengthen it and extend it. This is an important opportunity to restart engagement between Iran and the US, and to realise the objectives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which we support. We look forward to engaging with the new administration as soon as possible.

Israel: Palestinians

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about (1) the reported killing of a Palestinian child near Ramallah on 4 December, and (2) reports that the child was shot by the Israel Defence Force.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinians, including children, killed by Israel Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. The UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa expressed the UK's sadness to hear of the death of Palestinian child Ali Ayman Abu Alaya, following clashes between the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian civilians. We have urged Israel to ensure that its investigation is swift and comprehensive. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate transparent investigations.

Burundi: Economic Situation

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Legatum Institute The Legatum Prosperity Index 2020, published on 16 November; and in particular that report’s findings that Burundi is (1) 157th out of 167 countries ranked in terms of overall prosperity, and (2) among the top 10 worst countries in the world in the categories of (a) economic quality, (b) living conditions, and (c) health.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains concerned by the development indicators for Burundi and the findings of this report. The UK has been providing support to Burundi to tackle health crises including helping to tackle acute malnutrition, responding to a malaria outbreak and supporting on Ebola and COVID-19 response.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the indirect impact on the climate of RAF flights from the formation of aircraft contrails.

Baroness Goldie: There has not been a direct assessment of contrails formed by RAF flights. However, the Department for Transport has published scientific assessments covering all aviation. The most recent scientific assessment of the historical, global, impact of aviation on the environment, including through contrails, is presented in the recent publication "The Contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018" by Lee et al., 2020, a copy of which is available in The Library of the House.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid in social benefits in England and Wales in the last five years for which records are available.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: In the last 5 years the overall benefit expenditure in England and Wales can be found on the table below. Great Britain welfare spending,  £ billion, nominal terms2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21 OutturnOutturnOutturnOutturnOutturnForecastPeople of working age and children94.493.794.695.297.1113.4Pensioners116.4118.0119.9122.0124.0125.5Total210.7211.7214.4217.2221.1238.9of which DWP171.8173.9178.1183.8192.4213.1of which Non-DWP38.937.936.433.428.725.7 Further detailed information relating to benefit expenditure can be found in our published expenditure tables.

Social Security Benefits: Children

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to investigate any link between the ‘two-child limit’ restricting the amount that families can receive in social security benefits and the reported rise in the number of abortions among women with two or more children.

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the study by the British Pregnancy Advice Service Forced into a corner: the two-child limit and pregnancy decision making during the pandemic, published on 3 December; and what plans they have to review the ‘two-child limit’ restricting the amount that families can receive in social security benefits.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: DWP has made no such plans or assessment. This is an uncertain time for families which is why DWP have taken unprecedented steps to support incomes and help with living costs. The support available through the welfare safety net reflects the fact that the majority of households in Britain (85%) have two or fewer children.

Covid Winter Grant Scheme

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for Work and Pensions will use the information it collects from councils on the implementation of the Winter Grant Scheme to inform future approaches to supporting vulnerable low-income families.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We are working across-government to tackle a range of cost of living issues that affect not only the poorest in society but other households including those who are struggling financially due to the pandemic. The information provided by local authorities on how they are using the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support vulnerable households will feed into our future policy thinking as part of this work.

Pension Protection Fund

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each company pension scheme which has been put into the Pension Protection Fund since 2015, what was (1) the amount of liability on transfer, and (2) the contribution by way of cash or assets made to reduce the amount of liability on transfer.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The information requested is in the attached table. The table shows schemes transferred to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) from 1 April 2015 to 30 September 2020 which is the latest date for which figures are available. The liabilities are calculated in line with PPF’s accounting practice on the date the scheme transferred. The total assets in respect of each scheme are provided but a further breakdown into asset types is not availableTable 1 (docx, 30.7KB)

Pension Protection Fund

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which company pension schemes have been put into the Pension Protection Fund since 2015; and when were each of these schemes transferred to the Pension Protection Fund.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The information requested is in the attached table.Table 1 (docx, 26.4KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Batteries: Recycling

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto introduce legislation comparable with the proposal by the European Commission to establish acircular economy for all batteries on the European market; and whether any such plans will include requirements for (1) environmentally and socially responsible extraction of raw materials, (2) recyclability, (3) the provision of recycling systems, (4) the use of recycled materials,and (5) efficiency criteria.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As set out in the Government’s December 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy, we are presently reviewing the arrangements applying to batteries and their treatment at end of life. That review is considering all aspects, including requirements relating to when batteries are first placed on the market. We will consider carefully the proposals recently put forward by the European Commission in this area.

Environment Protection: River Lugg

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of ecological damage to the banks of the River Lugg; and what plansthey have to prevent similar events occurring elsewhere in England.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: A joint investigation is currently underway involving the main agencies (Environment Agency, Natural England and Forestry Commission). This has included a recent site visit to establish the full detail and extent of recent work at the site. Further details will be made available in due course in line with the nature of the ongoing investigation. Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission have respective regulatory powers to ensure the management of SSSIs, waterways and trees, providing advice to landowners and consents/licences where appropriate. They continue to monitor and investigate any incidences of damage to sites and rely on the support of the general public in reporting possible illegal activity and pollutions.

Water Companies: Competition

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Ofwat is allowing SME customers in the English water retail market to be charged in advance.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: While there are a range of market codes in place to protect customers, Ofwat does not specifically prohibit retailers from charging customers in advance for the services they provide. Some customers may, for example, have made an active and informed choice to voluntarily enter contractual arrangements with retailers on terms which include some form of advance billing.However, Ofwat has also taken steps to strengthen the protections for customers on deemed contracts (that is where the customer has not actively negotiated and agreed a contract with their retailer) against non-voluntary changes in their non-price terms, which would include changes in billing arrangements. Following a public consultation, in July 2019 Ofwat published its decision that for customers acquired on retail exit who have not subsequently switched retailer, their terms in the round should leave them no worse off than they were on retail exit.While the example of advance billing was used as one example of a non-price change that could leave customers worse off, Ofwat’s decision applied more widely to the fair treatment of customers who had not yet engaged in the market. To avoid stifling innovation or preventing retailers from making efficiency enhancing changes that may benefit customers, retailers should be able to alter the non-price terms for customers on deemed contracts so long as they are: transparent about any proposed changes; are able to clearly articulate what the impact on customers will be; and are able to demonstrate to customers why, and how, they will be at least ‘no worse off’ as a result of those changes.

Water Companies: Competition

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures Ofwat has taken to enable new entrants to the English water retail market to meet their credit support requirements.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In 2017 Ofwat with KPMG undertook a review of the credit arrangements in the business retail market to establish whether the arrangements created an undue barrier to entry. The review found that, in principle, requiring collateral is not a barrier to entry in and of itself. Ofwat has supported (and on occasions sponsored) market code amendments aimed at improving transparency and flexibility and reducing barriers to new entrant retailers. For example, Ofwat sponsored a code change to Wholesale Retail Code CPW021 (Negotiating Alternative Eligible Credit Support reasonably and in good faith) implemented in July 2017. This change provided greater certainty on wholesalers’ obligations to negotiate ‘alternative eligible credit support’ and increases the scope for retailers to provide the required eligible credit support via a mechanism which suits their particular circumstances. In some cases, Ofwat has rejected proposed market code amendments on credit where such proposals are not considered – on the basis of the evidence presented - to better facilitate the principles and objectives of the market codes. In Ofwat’s ‘review of incumbent company support for effective markets’ published in August 2020, it asked wholesalers to explain their approach to offering alternative credit arrangements and alternative payment terms and the extent to which they tailor their offerings to the characteristics of individual retailers. In its report Ofwat highlighted examples of good practice and where performance could be better. It emphasised that where different retailers have different risk profiles, a wholesaler is able to reflect this by offering these retailers’ different or tailored terms, so long as the differences in terms objectively reflect the differences in risk. Ofwat plans to provide further guidance on this in early 2021.

Water Companies: Competition

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits the English water retail market has delivered for SMEs; and how many SMEs switched retailers in (1) 2018, and (2) 2019.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Since market opening, Ofwat has published annual reports on the business retail market, including with a focus on customer outcomes and benefits delivered to customers, including SME customers – see: Business retail market - Open for business - Review of the first year of the market 2017-18State of the market Reviewing the second year of the business retail water marketState of the market 2019-20 Review of the third year of the business retail water market Its most recent report, on the third year of the market (2019-20) noted that just over half (54%) of small/medium SMEs (10-249 employees), and 58% of micro-businesses (0-9 employees) are aware they can choose their retailer. The majority (91%) of all business customers who had switched retailer or renegotiated a new deal with their existing retailer in the 12 months to spring 2020 reported that they had received some form of benefit as a result of switching or re-negotiating. Concerning switching rates, around 3.1% of small/medium SMEs (10-249 employees) and 4% of micro-businesses (0-9 employees) switched retailer or renegotiated a new deal with their existing retailer in the 12 months to spring 2020, compared to 6.2% (small/medium SMEs) and 3.6% (micro-businesses) in the 12 months to spring 2019.

Environment Protection

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theThe State of the Planet address by the United Nations Secretary-General at Columbia Universityon 2 December.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Secretary General's speech was the latest of a number of clarion calls he has made for action to address the biodiversity and climate change crises we face today. The Government shares the Secretary General's concern. That is why the UK helped drive discussions to deliver the Leaders' Pledge for Nature, which was signed by 77 countries (including the UK) at the UN General Assembly in September, setting out urgent actions to tackle the international biodiversity and climate crises. In addition, as the Secretary General highlighted, the UK has already put in place commitments to deliver on many of his imperatives domestically. These include our commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050 and the replacement of existing area based agricultural payments so that farmers will in future be paid for work that enhances the environment, such as tree or hedge planting, river management to mitigate flooding, or creating or restoring habitats for wildlife. The need for a green and resilient recovery from the current pandemic is something which the UK is firmly committed to and the ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution, which we published in November, will be central to delivering that. Whether in terms of delivering more renewable energy and lower emissions or additional protection of our natural environment, our plan will deliver on many of the Secretary General's calls and demonstrates UK leadership in doing so. As the Secretary General outlined, 2020 was meant to be a "super year" for both biodiversity and the climate. That focus has now shifted to next year and we are committed to using the opportunities provided by our G7 Presidency and our Presidency of the UNFCCC CoP26, as well as opportunities provided by the CBD CoP 15, the UN Food Systems Summit and the UN Decade of Ecosystem restoration which will be launched in 2021, to demonstrate UK leadership and to drive global actions, not just words to address the crises.

Water Companies: Competition

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures Ofwat has taken to increase competition in the non-household retail marketplace.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Ofwat’s role is to promote competition through a well-functioning market where that will further the interests of customers. In furthering this role, since the market has opened the regulator has explored barriers to market entry, for example, credit security arrangements for smaller new entrants. Where appropriate, Ofwat has supported (and on occasions sponsored) market code amendments aimed at promoting new entrants to the market. Over the past three years, we have seen greater choice for business customers with around twenty retailers operating in England. In addition, a number of larger customers have become licensed to operate as self-suppliers. The self-supply model enables customers to have greater control over their data, and has delivered price and water efficiency savings. In 2019/20, an additional three self-supply licences were granted bringing the total to 12 as at end March 2020.

Water Companies: Competition

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of Parent Company Guarantees by water wholesalers to their associated retailers in the English water retail market; and their impact on market (1) competition, and (2) distortion.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Ofwat keeps under review the use and impact of Parent Company Guarantees (PCGs) in the water business retail market. For example, it has previously reviewed the use of PCGs in the market and wrote an open letter (in January 2019) to retailers and their associated companies reminding them of their obligations under the market codes and competition law on this. Use of PCGs, or other forms of intra-group credit, in and of themselves should not be of concern. For example, where a retailer is obtaining credit and paying a market orientated rate for that credit, then this should not distort competition. However, if the credit provision was below the market rate, i.e. not reflecting the economic risk specifically of that retailer (as opposed to the group as a whole), this could potentially distort competition. To increase transparency around use of PCGs, a requirement was introduced (though a change to the market codes) for retailers to provide information to Ofwat including: confirmation any PCG has been provided on an arm’s length basis; and evidence which can be used to determine the commercial consideration (and any other relevant costs) of the PCG.

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the avian influenza outbreak; and what assessment they have made of the risk of transfer to the human population.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra's approach to disease control is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain ( www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-avian-disease-control-strategy and the Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals in England ( www.gov.uk/government/publications/contingency-plan-for-exotic-notifiable-diseases-of-animals-in-england)Once disease has been confirmed, susceptible birds are humanely culled and disease control zones are put in place around the infected premises. These are to reduce the risk of disease spread further. Movements of live birds, eggs, poultry carcases, poultry litter and manure are subject to restrictions. Veterinary investigations and epidemiological assessments are carried out at each infected premises, including the tracing of all movements of birds on and off, and surveillance is carried out within the disease control zones.The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus associated with the current outbreak in the UK has been analysed in the international reference laboratory at Weybridge, Surrey, part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). It has been shown to be genetically the same as that found in the current outbreaks on the continent of Europe. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) assessment ( https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6379) is that the viruses identified in those outbreaks are not related to the Asian H5N1 ones which have caused some human infections elsewhere in the world.In the light of the current outbreak we have established a statutory Avian Influenza Protection Zone (AIPZ). All bird keepers are required by law to take a range of further precautions including keeping their birds indoors except in very specific circumstances. Similar measures were also introduced in Scotland and Wales. I refer the Noble Lady to my statement of 8 December 2020: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-08/hlws621Public Health England advises that the risk to the public's health from the virus in the current outbreaks is very low. The Food Standards Agency advises that on the basis of the current scientific evidence, avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.

Avian Influenza: Poultry

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of avian influenza occurring at intensive poultry rearing units compared to the farming of poultry on open field sites; and whether they have identified any need to improve biosecurity measures for intensive poultry rearing units.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra, and the relevant departments of all administrations in the UK, have robust biosecurity measures in place to reduce the risk of spread of avian influenza and a strong track record of controlling and eliminating outbreaks.The risk of incursion of avian influenza has been increased to very high for wild birds, medium for poultry with high biosecurity and high for poultry with poor biosecurity. In response to the risk we established an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of England from 11 November 2020 and brought additional housing measures into force from the 14 December 2020.The AIPZ means all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions including, from the 14 December 2020, keeping their birds indoors except in very specific circumstances. Similar measures were also introduced in Scotland and Wales. I refer the Noble Lady to my statement of 8 December 2020: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-08/hlws621The decisions to implement the AIPZ and the additional housing measures followed scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. In particular a rapid risk assessment on the relative risks of incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 into housed or not-housed flocks was undertaken and is available via the following web link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/941150/rapid-risk-assessment-H5N8-HPAI-housing-poultry-flocks-captive-birds.pdf Defra is clear that all operational livestock farms should implement strong biosecurity measures and report suspected disease immediately.

Environmental Land Management Scheme

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to establish, and (2) to publish, a register of participants of the Environmental Land Management Scheme; if so, where any such register will be published; and whether any such register will include detail on the scheme (a) requirements, and (b) participant’s (i) land holdings, (ii) land area, (iii) land managers, (iv) joining date, and (v) other relevant matters.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Section 2(8) of the Agriculture Act 2020 provides the Secretary of State with the power to make regulations requiring the Secretary of State or another person to publish specified information about any financial assistance that has been given under the Act.In August 2020, Defra conducted a targeted consultation inviting the views of stakeholders on a proposed Financial Assistance Statutory Instrument which would require the publication of detailed beneficiary information of those participating in the Environmental Land Management National Pilot. Defra is currently considering the responses submitted during the consultation ahead of introducing the Statutory Instrument for Parliament to consider ahead of the launch of the National Pilot in 2021. A response to the views received on the consultation document will be shared with stakeholders in due course.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intendto replace the EU's mechanisms for family reunification in relation to unaccompanied children.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This Government has made it clear that we are embarking on an ambitious programme to fix our broken asylum system to make it firm and fair. As the Home Secretary said in her Conservative Party Conference speech, we will seek to stop abuse of the system while ensuring it is compassionate towards those who need our help, welcoming people through safe and legal routes.Section 3 of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 (the Act) sets out a statutory obligation to review the ways in which protection claimants, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), who are in an EU member state are able to enter the United Kingdom lawfully. As a part of this review, the statutory obligation includes a public consultation on legal routes for UASC in the EU seeking to join family in the UK.The Act includes a requirement to lay a statement before Parliament by 10 February 2021 providing further details of the review and consultation.The Government has also made a commitment, in the event of a non-negotiated outcome with the EU, to seek to pursue new bilateral negotiations on post-transition migration issues with key countries of mutual interest, including on new arrangements for the family reunion of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the agreement reached by the UK and the government of France on 28 November to address migrant activity in the English Channel, what plans they have for monitoring and evaluating the impact of (1) this agreement, and (2) any funds spent on its implementation; how, and by what body, any monitoring and evaluation will be conducted; and whether they intend to publish any such evaluation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In November the UK and France agreed a package of £28.1m to support a range of activity as part of ongoing efforts to address illegal migration. The impact on migration pressures of this investment is regularly assessed by France and the UK through jointly agreed results frameworks. We are not intending to publish detailed information on the evaluation of the funding agreed with the French Government, as it relates to sensitive operational activity.

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the cost of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to date; and what they estimate thetotal cost of that Inquiry will be.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is operationally independent and responsible for the management of its own budget. The Inquiry publishes financial statements on a quarterly basis on its website https://www.iicsa.org.uk/.The most recent financial statement, covering the Inquiry’s 2020/21 spend as at 30 September 2020, can be found here: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/inquiry-publishes-financial-report-q2-202021The inquiry’s total spend up to 30 September 2020 was £152m.It is difficult to provide an expected final cost of the Inquiry at this stage, but the Inquiry has recently concluded its public hearings and will publish its full life costs at the close of the Inquiry.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the disproportionate rate of fines issued to BAME communities under regulations introduced to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have published an analysis of the disproportionality of fines issued via a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), for breaching the new public health regulations to control the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) which can be found here: https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/download/608327f7e62a4432a59ce05c5c1554bcThe analysis presented in this report covers such fines issued between 27th March and 25th May 2020. The data shows that the disparity rate for individuals of a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background was 1.6 times higher than White individuals.We will continue to work extremely closely with the police as we have throughout the pandemic. We are clear that no one should be subject to police enforcement on the basis of race alone and we work with forces and the NPCC to address disproportionality in policing.

Organised Crime and Terrorism

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that organised crime and terrorism can be addressed effectively after theend of the transition period for the UK's departure from the EU.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The safety and security of our citizens is the Government’s top priority.Negotiations continue, and on law enforcement and criminal justice, there is a good degree of convergence in what the UK and EU have been negotiating in terms of operational capabilities. In the event that it is not possible to reach an agreement, the UK has well-developed and well-rehearsed plans in place. We will transition cooperation with EU Member States to alternative, non-EU arrangements by the end of the Transition Period, where available and relevant. Broadly speaking, this means making more use of Interpol, Council of Europe Conventions and bilateral channels. Specifically on counter-terrorism, cooperation with European partners on national security takes place outside EU structures and so is not dependent on the EU. Our bilateral and multilateral cooperation will continue, regardless of the outcome of any negotiations The UK will continue to be a global leader on security and one of the safest countries in the world.

Public Order: Coronavirus

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain public order during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The police are tasked with the critical responsibility for maintaining public order and are operationally independent of Government. They will continue to engage, explain and encourage people to follow the rules during the pandemic, but will enforce where necessary.The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and operational partners to ensure they have the powers, resources and guidance they need.

Deportation

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of only permitting deportation following a recommendation to do so bythe courts.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We have an established process whereby all foreign national offenders sentenced to imprisonment are referred to Immigration Enforcement for deportation consideration, and a statutory duty under the UK Borders Act 2007 to deport any offender serving a custodial term of 12 months or more. Those falling outside that category may be considered liable to deportation under the Immigration Act 1971.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Audit

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, conditions they have in place to require local councils to have completed audits of their accounts in order to receive central government funding; and what assessment they have made of whether Liverpool City Council is compliant with any such conditions.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government does not require local authorities to complete audits of their accounts in order to receive central government funding. However, there may be other conditions attached to individual grants to ensure the funding is used for its intended purpose.The Accounts and Audit regulations 2015 (SI 234/2015) require councils to submit their draft accounts for public inspection within certain deadlines and, once the public inspection period is completed to approve them. The regulations also require the final accounts to be published (currently by 30 November 2020) once signed off by the auditor as complete. If the authority is unable to publish the completed accounts within the specified deadline they are required to post a notice saying why they are not being published.  To help address the rising number of delayed audits and other concerns with the local audit framework, we commissioned Sir Tony Redmond to review arrangements supporting the effectiveness and quality of local authority financial reporting and external audit within the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. Sir Tony published the outcome of his Review on 8 September and I am pleased to report that we responded, accepting the majority of his recommendations on 17 December. The report can be accessed at the following (attached) link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-financial-reporting-and-external-audit-government-response-to-the-redmond-reviewGovernment response to the redmond review (pdf, 315.8KB)

Disadvantaged

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion by the Local Government Association in its report Spending Review 2020: On-the-Day Briefing, published on 25 November,that “no proposals for putting local welfare funding on a more sustainable footing to ensure a consistent approach to locally-led support to address financial hardship and economic vulnerability” are included in their Spending Review; and what plans they have to implement any such proposals after March 2021.

Lord Greenhalgh: Spending Review 2020 confirmed that local government’s Core Spending Power is forecast to rise by 4.5% in cash terms- a real terms increase. This package means local authorities will be able to access an estimated additional £2.2 billion to support Adult and Children’s Social Care and to maintain universal services.We have taken unprecedented measures during the pandemic to protect the most vulnerable, and put in place a strong package of financial support to support families and children, including our new £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme for local authorities, which is helping tens of thousands of vulnerable children across the country stay warm and well-fed this winter.Our long-term ambition is to level up opportunity across the UK by helping people back into work as quickly as possible based on clear and consistent evidence around the important role that work can play in tackling poverty. Our £30 billion plans for jobs is the first step on the ladder to achieving this and will support economic recovery through new schemes including Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support.

Local Government: Elections

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the deferred local elections which are expected to take place in May 2021 will be for (1) three, or (2) four, year terms of office.

Lord Greenhalgh: Section 60(3) of the Coronavirus Act 2020 provides that for elected representatives whose elections scheduled for May 2020 were postponed, their term of office has been extended to May 2021; for those elected in 2021 as a result of the postponement, their term of office will be three years ending in 2024 rather than four years. This will maintain the pre-pandemic electoral cycles. By-elections postponed until May 2021 will be for the remaining term of office for that seat in May 2021.

Disadvantaged

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide long-term sustainable funding to local government for councils (1) to undertake preventative work to address the causes of hardship and disadvantage, and (2) provide support to those households who need it.

Lord Greenhalgh: Spending Review 2020 confirmed that Core Spending Power is forecast to rise by 4.5 per cent in cash terms- a real terms increase. This package means local authorities will be able to access an estimated additional £2.2 billion to support Adult and Children’s Social Care and to maintain universal services.   Within their Core Spending Power, councils will have access to an additional £1billion for social care next year, made up of a £300 million increase to the social care grant and 3 per cent Adult Social Care precept. The additional £1 billion of grant funding announced at SR19 for Adult and Children’s Social Care will be continuing, along with all other existing social care funding including the improved Better Care Fund. The Settlement is unringfenced to ensure local areas can prioritise based on their own understanding of the needs of their local communities.   We also recently announced that the Troubled Families Programme, which provides early, effective and joined up support for families with complex needs, will continue into a new phase in 2021-21. Up to an additional £165 million has been available for the programme, which will continue to drive system change, both locally and nationally, to serve vulnerable families with the intensive, integrated support they need to overcome their problems before they escalate The Troubled Families Programme’s evaluation shows that it has been successful in improving outcomes for vulnerable families and driving progress towards intensive, integrated support services. As of September 2020, the programme had funded areas to work with 439,956 families?in most need of help.?However, we know that local authorities are working in a whole family way with at least 865,000 families. As of September 2020, 382,626 families have made sustained improvements with the problems that led to them joining the programme. In 31,798 of these families one or more adults has moved off benefits and into sustained employment At the Spending Review we announced an unprecedented package of support for local authorities to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, including measures worth an estimated circa £3 billion of additional support for Covid-19 pressures next year, along with extending the current Sales, Fees and Charges scheme (which refunds 75 per cent of eligible income loss beyond a 5 per cent threshold) into the first three months of 2021-22.   This is on top of the support committed this financial year, including over £7.2 billion for local authorities, even before the extension of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund for those authorities under the highest level of restriction – potentially worth over £200 million a month – announced as part of the Covid-19 Winter Plan. This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of Covid-19 to over £10 billion.

Liverpool City Council: Property Development

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Liverpool City Council about their process of awarding contracts to developers.

Lord Greenhalgh: It is a matter of public record that Merseyside Police have for many months been conducting an investigation which has resulted in a number of arrests made on suspicion of fraud, bribery, corruption and misconduct in public office, both in December 2019 and in September 2020. Further arrests were made on 4 December 2020 in connection with offences of bribery and witness intimidation. This investigation involves a significant connection to Liverpool City Council.The Secretary of State met with Statutory Officers from Liverpool City Council at his request on Monday 7 December. He was given a range of assurances about the steps the council has taken to improve governance in the Council. Given the seriousness of the issues, the Secretary of State sought additional written assurances, including on any plans for further property disposals, and steps the authority has taken and proposes to take to secure effective governance. A copy of the letter that was sent to the council on Tuesday 8 December can be found (attached) here. Liverpool City Council submitted their response on Friday 11 December.On 17 December the Secretary of State announced (attached) the appointment of?Max Caller CBE to carry out an inspection?of Liverpool City Council’s compliance with its Best Value Duty in relation to the authority’s planning, highways, regeneration and property management functions and the strength of associated audit and governance arrangements. The Secretary of State has asked Max Caller to report his findings by 31 March 2021.A copy of letter sent to the council (pdf, 78.8KB)Statement (pdf, 77.4KB)

Local Government: Subsidiary Companies

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of appointments of councillors who lack specialist knowledge being appointed to the boards of council-owned companies.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is clear that councillors serving on company boards need particular skills, experience and training, as identified, for example, in the Public Interest Report issued by Nottingham City Council’s external auditors on 11 August 2020. This Public Interest Report followed the identification of serious issues associated with the council’s private energy company Robin Hood Energy.On 17 December the Secretary of State published a response to the rapid non-statutory review into Nottingham City Council commissioned on 2 November. In his response, the Secretary of State acknowledged the review’s recommendation that the Department publish sector guidance on council-owned companies. This is being considered and an announcement will be made in due course.Nottingham City Council's non-statutory review report and Secretary of State response can be found (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nottingham-city-council-rapid-reviewNottingham city council rapid review (pdf, 1029.9KB)

Local Government Finance

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial reserves of each of (1) Belfast, (2) Birmingham, (3) Bristol, (4) Cardiff, (5) Glasgow, (6) Leeds, (7) Liverpool, (8) Manchester, (9) Newcastle, (10) Nottingham, and (11) Sheffield, local authorities; and what information they hold on such reserves in each case.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Department collects and publishes reserves data as part of annual data returns from local authorities in England. These figures can be found (attached) in the individual local authority data at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing, in table RA of budget data, and in table RS of outturn data. The latest published reserves figures from these local authorities are shown in the table.Non-ringfenced reserves at 31 March 2020 of requested local authorities Other earmarked reserves (£m)Unallocated reserves (£m)Birmingham463.8133.0Bristol80.617.0Leeds66.731.5Liverpool96.85.7Manchester348.721.4Newcastle-upon-Tyne87.710.1Nottingham153.72.2Sheffield252.113.2Source: Provisional Revenue Outturn 2019-20 returns from local authorities in England to MHCLGWe also collect information on use of reserves in our Local Authority COVID-19 financial monitoring survey. The eighth round of the survey was live between 4th and 11th December.The financial position of councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (pdf, 635.2KB)

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Coronavirus

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) the annual canvass of electors, and (2) the accuracy of the electoral register.

Lord True: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) remain subject to the statutory duties placed on them to deliver the annual canvass and electoral registration. They continue to deliver these essential services despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.Cabinet Office officials have actively engaged with EROs throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to identify and mitigate any possible effect of the pandemic on the annual canvass. The reforms the Government had already introduced to the annual canvass process for this year allowed EROs to make more use of online and telephone communications than previously, meaning a canvass that was safer for both Electoral Services teams and the general public. In addition, the Representation of the People (Electoral Registers Publication Date) Regulations 2020 has also provided EROs with additional flexibility to conduct this year’s annual canvass by allowing them an additional two months in which to publish their final revised register, if required - thus helping to safeguard the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

Schools: Polling Stations

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theimpact of using schools as polling stations for the local elections in May, in particular if those schools are required to close (1) for polling day, and (2) to undertake a deep clean following polling day.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for staffing problems at the local elections in England in May 2021 as a result of (1) reluctance among potential workers to volunteer to carry out duties at polling stations, and (2) the need for extra staff at polling stations to act as (a) ‘greeters’, and (b) cleaners.

Lord True: The Government appreciates the issues around using schools as polling places and asks that returning officers consider other venues where possible to minimise disruption to education. Where schools are designated as polling places, it should be with due consideration and for sound practical reasons. It can be the case that schools represent the most suitable and accessible locations and, in some instances, provide the only appropriate location for the situation of a polling station. Schools and local authorities should follow public health advice with regard to necessary cleaning and consider how this can be undertaken efficiently to ensure minimal disruption.The Government has considered issues around staffing at the May 2021 elections with the electoral sector and Public Health England, and the Electoral Commission has included reference to this in recent guidance.

Local Government: Elections

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the local elections due to be held in May 2021 are COVID-19-secure.

Lord True: The Government is working with the electoral sector and Public Health England to identify and resolve challenges involved in delivering the May 2021 elections, including ensuring polling stations are safe and covid-secure places to vote. People will be able to participate in the polls safely and in a way of their choice, whether by post, proxy or in-person.This was outlined in the Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution’s letter to Electoral Returning Officers, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-chloe-smith-mp-to-returning-officers

Elections: Proof of Identity

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of introducing mandatory voter ID on the Traveller and Roma communities’ ability to vote.

Lord True: Requiring proof of identity to vote in a polling station will strengthen the integrity of our electoral system, and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations, including those that represent Traveller and Roma communities, to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.As the legislation is brought forward the appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.Showing ID is something people of all backgrounds already do every day, for example, to take out a library book, claim benefits or pick up a parcel from the post office. Proving who you are before you make a decision of huge importance at the ballot box should be no different.The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences, a broad range of commonly held photographic documents will be accepted. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority. Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Youth Investment Fund

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards establishing the £500 million Youth Investment Fund.

Baroness Barran: The Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for levelling up across England over the course of the parliament. In the recent announced Spending Review £30m of this was committed as capital investment for 2021-22. This will provide investment in new and refurbished safe spaces for young people, so they can access support from youth workers, and positive activities out of school, including sport and culture. Further details of the timetable for allocation and how the funding will be distributed will be announced in due course.Government recognises the significant impact of Covid-19 on young people, particularly the most vulnerable, and on the youth services that support them. A £16.5m Youth Covid-19 Support Fund has been announced which will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they undertook any review in 2018 into the reasons for the increase in the number of girls seeking gender reassignment; and if so, what was the outcome of that review.

Baroness Berridge: The work by the Government Equalities Office has been superceded by NHS England commissioning an independent review into adolescent transgender healthcare, led by Dr Hilary Cass. One of the issues it will consider is the increase in the number of adolescents seeking the use of gender identity services.